The Department of Justice (DOJ) has sent a letter pointing out to the new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), that it is impossible to share information about the ongoing investigation in order to maintain the “integrity” of the investigation.
In addition, the letter warned that the DOJ may not share “non-public” information.
The letter read that the department is “committed to cooperating with the Committee’s legitimate efforts to find information,” adding: “Any request for oversight must be weighed against the Department’s interest in protecting the integrity of its work.” Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte sent the letter Friday to Jordan.
“Long-standing Department policy prevents us from confirming or denying the existence of pending investigations in response to congressional requests or from providing non-public information about our investigations,” according to the letter.
“The Department’s duty to ‘protect the government’s ability to fully and fairly prosecute’ is essential to the Executive Branch’s core constitutional function of investigating and prosecuting criminal matters,” Uriarte said in the letter.
He added that executive branch policy has historically “generally refused to provide Congressional committees with access to, or open copies of, law enforcement files except in exceptional circumstances.”
The letter was in response to Jordan’s extensive request on Tuesday for information about several investigations to Attorney General Merrick Garland, as well as the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The request includes all records and communications regarding classified documents recently discovered in President Joe Biden’s home and former office.
Jordan not only chairs the Judiciary Committee but also a special subcommittee to investigate the Biden administration and the so-called “weaponization” of the federal government.
Uriarte’s letter outlines how DOJ and the committee can work together. DOJ officials can brief committee members on issues, he said.
In addition, DOJ officials can testify at congressional hearings on certain matters as long as they are given at least two weeks’ notice, he wrote.
Jordan did not immediately respond to the letter. But a tweet from the committee asked why the DOJ was “afraid” to cooperate.